MONDAY'S PERSONAL FINANCE STORIES

For convenience, you can't beat package vacations. One call or one click and you've got your air, hotel and rental-car arrangements taken care of. And, hey, those packages are always a great deal.

Not so fast. While it's hard to argue about the convenience of travel packages, there is certainly some question as to just how much money they save you, if they save you any at all.

Indeed, there are plenty of instances where shopping yourself for the individual pieces of your trip will produce the best savings.

Our lead story tells you why package travel deals may not be deals after all. Read it, plus take Paul B. Farrell's quiz to see if you agree we are in the midst of a global megabubble and find out why restaurant chains are showing you where the beef is, on Monday's Personal Finance pages.

Of course, not everyone wants to rummage around online for hours searching for the best airfare and hotel deals and then comparing their results to packages that are being offered. But as they say, time is money.

Steve Kerch, assistant managing editor/personal finance

Packaged trips are convenient, but not always cheaper

Widely touted package deals combining hotel plus flight and maybe rental car are usually billed as the best possible price available, but some value-minded travelers view that claim with skepticism. In some cases, the skeptics are right. See Travel.

You decide: Are we in a global megabubble or not?

One thing I know is that real estate moves in grand cycles, from bubble to bust. I also have discovered that many people actually love blowing bubbles, until they bust, like party balloons. I hear it everywhere today, from self-serving folks all over Washington, Wall Street, Corporate America and cable TV's talking heads. Even the Fed chairman blew a little "froth" into the housing bubble. But here's some new insight: This is not a normal domestic real-estate bubble/bust cycle. We may be in an extraordinary global megabubble and real estate is just one of its many components. See Paul B. Farrell.

What diet trend? Behemoth burgers are back

What health-food trend? Turns out a large segment of the fast-food market is still looking for cheese, bacon and triple-thick beef patties. Restaurant chains are vying to out-supersize each other with new items and combination meals, pushing low-carb off the menu in favor of high-fat. Taking their licks at McLean, fast-food chains Hardee's, Burger King and Wendy's are introducing hefty sandwiches with names like the Monster Thickburger and the Enormous Omelet. See full story.

High court rules against Grokster in file-sharing case

The U.S. Supreme Court sided with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. Monday in a case that may have major implications for the delivery of digital music, movies and software. See full story.

Court rejects Brand X in cable-access case

The Supreme Court ruled against Internet provider Brand X on Monday, saying the company doesn't have the right to sell high-speed service over the networks of cable-television carriers. See full story.

Companies take active role in getting workers to invest

Given the rising importance of the 401(k) in Americans' retirement planning, some companies are shifting from educating workers about saving to automatically enrolling them in retirement plans, according to a T. Rowe Price executive. See Broadband Report.

A primer: working in your golden years

Where new positions for MBAs are advertised online

A host of career sites are targeting job hunters with master's degrees in business administration. Proof of graduation or current enrollment isn't required at the ones we visited. See Jobs Blog.

Transferees debate whether to sell or rent

Erin Beavers is worried about seller's remorse. The 34-year-old executive recruiter in Northbrook, Ill., is planning on moving from her three-bedroom home in the suburbs outside of Chicago to a new community. But with home prices appreciating rapidly in her area, Beavers worries she'll miss out on even greater profits if she sells her home now. See story from RealEstateJournal.

Fund investors get out of the box

One emerging trend on display at the just-completed Morningstar Investor Conference here was out-of-the-box thinking. The box, in this case, is Morningstar's ubiquitous style box, a measure that was designed to help fund investors but which has actually hindered some fund managers -- and some shareholders -- over the years. See Chuck Jaffe.

Fourteen ways to beat the heat and save money

As another hot summer begins, the Department of Energy offers many energy-sparing tips that can save you money and help you to stay safe in the summer heat: See Marshall Loeb's Daily Money Tip.

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